JÁCHYMOV – gateway to the Ore Mountains

 The Schweizer Vein in the Eliáš Valley ranks among the most important ore veins of the Jáchymov mining district. The area preserves the largest continuous belt of mining pits and spoil heaps in the Czech Republic.

The Rovnost Mine is one of the most important and deepest mines of the Jáchymov district. Its history includes silver mining, uranium extraction, labour camps and even the beginnings of the town’s spa tradition.

Among the less visible yet technically interesting remnants of Jáchymov’s mining past is the covered horse-drawn narrow-gauge line between the Svornost and Josef mines. Today it survives only in landscape traces and historic photographs.

One of the most valuable technical relics of the Jáchymov mining district is no longer in the town itself but in Kutná Hora. The preserved 16th-century horse-powered hoisting engine demonstrates the advanced technology of early mining in the region.

The Red Tower of Death near Vykmanov is one of the most striking surviving symbols of forced labour in the Jáchymov uranium mines. The seven-storey processing tower still recalls the extreme working conditions of political prisoners and the tragic effects of radioactive exposure.

The so-called Stairs of Terror above the Svornost Mine in Jáchymov are a powerful reminder of the forced-labour camp system connected with uranium mining. The steep corridor once linked the mine with the Svornost camp and today stands as a symbolic memorial site.

The Antonín Mine in the Eliáš Valley near Jáchymov is unusual within the local mining district. Unlike most mines in the region, it focused not on silver or uranium but on iron ore associated with skarn formations.

The Klement Mine in the Elbe valley near Jáchymov is a lesser-known mining site reflecting both post-war uranium exploration and the earlier tradition of arsenopyrite mining and arsenic production in the region.

The water works of the Jáchymov mining region are among the less visible yet essential technical monuments of its mining past. A sophisticated system of reservoirs, channels and water adits supplied power for mining and ore processing, ensuring that water was used almost without waste.

Adit No. 1 in Jáchymov is one of the most authentic surviving sites connected with post-war uranium mining and the forced-labour camp system. Today it is open as a mining heritage site, presenting both prisoner working conditions and the deeper history of mining in the area.